Unexpected
by PhantomProducer
Summary: You never know who will stand by you when you've been deserted by everyone else...a Pam/Dwight friendship one-shot.


**Author's note:** Here's my explanation for this fic - You don't see that many Pam/Dwight friendship fics, so I decided to write one. This is my variation on what could've happened after the cameras turned off on Dwight and Pam during their bonding moment in "Back from Vacation", the moment where Dwight is trying to comfort Pam.

**Another note:** I do not own The Office, including the characters, the locations, etc. Lucky NBC and Universal Studios owns all of that.

* * *

**Pam**

She didn't know how long she'd been gone from the inventory luau in the warehouse. She hadn't finished checking off her list, and she knew she needed to go back. But not yet – not before she was finished crying.

'_This is ridiculous!'_ Pam chided herself. '_Why did you help her when you knew it would hurt? Why did you do it for him even though you knew it wouldn't make him love you?'_

"Because I love him," she answered herself, the tears streaming faster down her cheeks.

It was true; despite her personal feelings, she had gone out of her way to help Jim's new girlfriend. The first time was right before Christmas; she and Karen became fast friends in the quest of getting back at Angela. The result of this union was the best office party to date. Angela got a bit of her own back, and Jim actually accepted her gift of a prank on Dwight. Initially Jim had refused this gift, crushing a piece of Pam's heart – the piece she had long ago acknowledged would always be Jim's. So many months of planning and preparation went into that prank; at the last minute Jim decided to engage in their old game. But it was only that one time, and it hadn't happened since.

Before the inventory luau, Jim told Pam of his argument with Karen over her living situation. Pam decided to help out once again and set her old friend straight; she suggested that he was being a little hard on Karen. After all, the woman was living in a hotel! Pam gave Jim a taste of the new Pam Beesly, and she could see the surprise in his eyes. It gave her a little satisfaction, and they started to talk about Michael's vacation with Jan. Later that night, as Pam was checking some card stock off her list and feeling good about herself, Karen came up to her with a glowing smile on her face.

"I think I owe you one," Karen told her.

"Sorry?" Pam was momentarily confused.

"For talking some sense into Halpert. The Day's Inn room 228 was starting to get really depressing," Karen laughed.

"Yeah, no, don't worry about it," Pam replied offhandedly. "I mean, he was being ridiculous."

"But thanks. Seriously," Karen responded sincerely before sauntering off to find Jim.

Pam nodded at her back, only seconds later realizing what she'd done to herself. She rushed upstairs to the deserted halls, landing on a couch outside of some bathrooms. She thought back to a private interview she had earlier that day.

"_No, I didn't mind helping Jim with his problem. That's what friends do…"_

Those words broke her heart. What good was the friendship when your best friend hardly acknowledged your existence? What good was the friendship when you were the only one trying? And what good was any friendship when you were in love with the friend you had rejected before?

_Serves me right, _Pam thought dejectedly. _I should've been honest with him that night. I should've told him that I loved him back. I should've told the truth. It's too late now…_

She shifted uncomfortably on the couch, her hands pressed against her eyes to stem the flow of tears. She thought she heard somebody come up to use the bathrooms, but she wasn't sure. As she pulled herself back into the self-deprecation, she heard a toilet flush. She couldn't care less who would see her cry, even if it was Jim. Dropping her hands to her lap, she saw through the blur of tears a familiar pair of glasses and the mustard yellow of a button-up t-shirt.

"Who did this to you? Where is he?" growled Dwight, ready to defend Pam's honor.

"What? No, it's, uh…it's nothing." Pam murmured, brushing away the tears with already soaked tissues.

An awkward silence descended, interrupted only by Pam's sniffles. Slowly Dwight removed his coat, with Pam watching warily. She didn't know what to expect; she half assumed he'd take advantage of the situation and rush off to find an evildoer or something. But then he simply tied the coat around his waist, commenting on the heat of the halls. A few more moments passed before Dwight reached into his pocket. He withdrew a handkerchief, offering it to Pam.

"Thanks," she said weakly, taking the hankie. He only nodded in return.

_Why is Dwight being so nice? This is like when he had his concussion and we were friends for the day_, she wondered as he hesitantly sat down next to her.

"You don't need to stay here," she sputtered, attempting to give Dwight the chance to leave.

"I know," he murmured, not moving. Gently he reached over and started to rub her back consolingly.

Fresh tears began to fall at this unexpected kindness. Pam had very few friends, and she knew that those friends wouldn't stay with her if she cried. One of those friends was the cause of the tears in the first place. And yet this man, who was always the butt of many jokes and pranks between Jim and her, was sitting beside her, comforting her. A quiet shuffle to her right betrayed the presence of the camera operators capturing the moment.

"So…you're PMS-ing pretty bad, huh?" Dwight asked, endeavoring to get to the root of the problem. A great sob exploded from her then.

_He's trying so hard! Trying to be helpful to someone he knows has been terrible to him!_

She looked up briefly, pulling the handkerchief away from her eyes. She shook with repressed sorrow. The cameramen were on their way back to the warehouse.

_Must have gotten all they wanted with that PMS line,_ she grumbled inwardly.

"No, Dwight, I'm not PMS-ing," she sobbed. "It's Jim. One moment he's my friend and talking to me, and the next he treats me as if I don't exist. I've tried so hard, I don't want to be trying so hard with him, but I can't help it! I don't know why I even bother."

After a moment, Dwight's reply came.

"Well, when one cares deeply for another, one will do anything to make the other person happy. No matter what the personal cost is, one will always keep trying." Noting Pam's incredulous look, he continued, "I'm not as naïve as you and Jim both think I am. Do not give up, Pamela. There is a part of Jim – one not laden with laxness and idiocy – that is still your friend."

He gave her a gentle squeeze on the shoulder.

"I know he still cares about you, no matter how juvenile he acts, Pam. There isn't much I don't know about anybody in the office," Dwight concluded, rising to return to the inventory party.

Before she even had time to think it over, Pam jumped up and threw her arms around Dwight.

"Thank you, Dwight. Just…thank you," she said, hugging him fiercely. He awkwardly patted her back in return.

"Whenever you need help, call for Dwight K. Schrute," he replied, half saluting her. She returned the gesture, smiling through the tears. She watched him walk away, hoping he wouldn't have the audacity to punish Jim for what happened. After swiping at the tears one more time, she went into the bathroom to wash her face. As the cool water ran down her cheeks, a single thought rolled through her mind.

_You never know who will stand by you when you've been deserted by everyone else._

With that she wiped her face clean with a paper towel and proceeded back downstairs, attempting a display at courage that Dwight would be proud of.

* * *

**Dwight**

_Ah, inventory. What a wonderful way to reacquaint myself with the world of paper,_ Dwight thought to himself.

It was a good day; after all, Michael was back from vacation, and despite an eventual throw down that was bound to happen because of a certain picture of a certain Scranton manager and a certain corporate worker circling the Internet, Dwight was confident his fearless leader would overcome it. Besides, Michael had given Dwight the special duty of preserving his reputation; he had successfully destroyed all copies of the incriminating photograph, save the giant one from the warehouse (but Kevin had claimed that one). Not even Jim Halpert could spoil Dwight's joy of further immersing himself into Dunder Mifflin. The luau was an added bonus; not that Dwight really cared for such festivities, but it was a party planned by his beloved Angela. Albeit the party was no great success, he continued his silent support of his Monkey. As he checked off another of the assorted items on his list, Dwight had a realization.

_I really have to pee._

After setting his clipboard atop some card stock, he charged up the stairs to the nearest bathrooms. Answering nature's call, he meticulously scrubbed his hands afterwards. Below the sound of rushing water he heard the muffled cries of a hurt female. Quickly finishing up, he opened the door and whipped around the corner. There, on the couch in the hall, was Pam Beesly, her face dripping with tears. Dwight's first instinct was to find the defiler of Pam's honor.

"Who did this to you? Where is he?" he snarled, prepared to unleash his purple belt moves on the perpetrator.

"What? No, it's, uh…it's nothing," she huffed, wiping her face with used tissues.

_Bullcrap,_ Dwight thought. _No woman cries like that for no reason._

An uncomfortable silence fell, with Dwight becoming increasingly embarrassed. The heat of the embarrassment became too much, so he removed his coat and tied it around his waist.

"It's hot in here," he explained.

"Yeah," Pam replied noncommittally.

_Man, those tissues are beyond use now,_ he noted inwardly. He fiddled around in his pocket, searching for his personal handkerchief. He quietly held it out to Pam.

"Thanks," she said, dabbing her eyes. The tears kept coming despite efforts to the contrary. Dwight sat down next to her, not caring if he was caught in a moment of compassion by the camera crew that tramped about the office.

"You don't need to stay here," Pam murmured, attempting to regain her grasp on normalcy.

"I know," he replied, concern in his voice. _I will not leave you when you clearly need someone._

He began to rub her back, thinking the physical contact might help. A new wave of sobs burst out of her then. Dwight would never openly admit it, but it was painful to see Pam this way. She was a good person, a good receptionist, despite getting mixed up with Halpert. Dwight sincerely and secretly liked Pam as a person. Covertly he cast his gaze around the hall, noticing the two cameras positioned in front of him and to his right. He tried gain a foothold in the situation.

"So…you're PMS-ing pretty bad, huh?"

That only made Pam cry harder, and with that rapid expulsion of tears Dwight jerked his head up. With one curt hand gesture on his part the cameramen shuffled back downstairs. When her sobs subsided, Pam looked back up. Her green eyes glistened with anger and grief as she related her woes to him. The problem was Jim, she explained. She had no idea how to handle this strange position he put her in. Dwight nodded, having noticed the strain in Pam and Jim's relationship (who hadn't, really?), and it was quite upsetting to think that Jim couldn't look past his own problems to see the pain he was causing his used-to-be best friend.

"I've tried so hard…I don't know why I even bother," Pam gushed.

_Oh, dear Thor, she's in love with him,_ Dwight understood finally. The revelation blew his mind, and yet it made perfect sense. She was Jim's natural counterbalance. But never mind the inner eye-opener for now; he had to think of an appropriate response.

"Well, when one cares deeply for another, one will do anything to make the other person happy. No matter what the personal cost is, one will always keep trying," he told her.

Dwight almost laughed at Pam's shell shocked expression. _She never thought I understood this much._

"I'm not as naïve as you and Jim both think I am," he chided gently. "Do not give up, Pamela. There is a part of Jim – one not laden with laxness and idiocy – that is still your friend."

Squeezing her shoulder in a friendly way, he continued, "I know he still cares about you, no matter how juvenile he acts, Pam. There isn't much I don't know about anybody in the office."

He rose to get back to his inventory list – _How could I be gone for so long? _– only to be stopped by a fierce hug from Pam.

"Thank you, Dwight. Just…thank you," she whispered. Now he was really uncomfortable.

After giving her an awkward back pat, he said, "Whenever you need help, call for Dwight K. Schrute."

They saluted each other, and as Dwight turned to go back to the warehouse he knew that no matter what would happen in the future, Pam Beesly would forever be his secret friend.

* * *

**Last note:** I know the Pam/Dwight exchange here seems a bit out of character for Dwight, but he does have his human side, and I wanted to show the possible depth of that side as much as possible. So other than that, please read and review!


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